Tom`s travels: Sangerhausen, Delitzsch & Torgau (12/06/2022)

This time Ania wished to sleep in so I decided to do another day trip alone using again only regional trains thanks to the 9-euro ticket. After a few hours, I reached the first town of the day, Sangerhausen. Once there I headed on to visit the city center on foot, passing by the Marienkirche, a Gothic church that was closed. It was a nice sunny day but yet, as it was Sunday and all the shops were closed, the town felt rather empty with no one around and nothing going on. As I continued on my walk, I then turned around facing north and was surprised to see a tall gray mound just outside the city looking like a central American volcano. What I was looking at was the Hohe Linde, a 400m high spoil tip formed from the mining of copper slate nearby. Quite surprised at that sight I headed on and reached the town's main square, the Markt. At its center was a nice fountain and around the perimeter some interesting old buildings. To the west of the square was the Jacobikirche, a gothic hall church from the 15th century that was unfortunately closed. To the east of the square was the town hall, built during the mid-15th century and expanded the following century. Continuing onwards I then reached another church, Ulrichkirche, a nice 12th-century romanesque building that was also closed. Moving on, I then walked through the rest of the streets of the old town, many of which were filled with nice flowers and plants to the side. Back at the train station I then took a train that brought me to the next town, Delitzsch. Here I walked through the city center, reaching then the western part of town where the Halle Tower, dating to the end of the 14th century, is set. Nearby, I then headed to the Schloss, one of the oldest in northwestern Saxony. Originally dating to the 12th century its current form is that of the baroque reconstruction from the end of the 17th century. Around the castle is also a nice baroque garden which I walked around to have different views of the structure. I chose not to enter the castle itself as I didn't have time to do so and instead walked through the rest of the old town. I passed the main square, and past the main church, St Peter and Paul, a gothic building from the 15th century that was closed. Not far from it, on the way to the station, I then passed yet another tower, the Breiter Turm, built in the same period and the same style as the other I had just seen. Once I got to the station I then took the next ride to the last town of the day, Torgau. After arriving at the destination, I walked on foot through the city center and went by the town's late gothic main church, the Mariekirche, which was closed. Not far from the church I then reached the main attraction, the large and impressive Hartenfels Castle. Unfortunately, right as I entered the central courtyard, I saw that right below the drawbridge of the main entrance there was a small enclosure where a pair of bears were kept. Apparently, like other castles in Germany, bears were still being kept in captivity as a leisure for tourists. That was kind of a disappointing site, and I entered the castle courtyard thinking bears should not be kept in such places. The castle was built over at least two centuries, between the 15th and 17th centuries, and is considered one of the best examples of a renaissance fortress in the state. Once inside the large courtyard I took a look at the impressive structures around me, including the nice Neptune fountain at the center, the main keep tower, and the impressive Großer Wendelstein, an external spiral staircase built in 1537. Despite the castle itself was already closed I was able to walk up the staircase and admire this gem of a renaissance structure. Inside were also carvings and graffiti from past ages, including a phrase from 1543 and a Russian one from when the Soviet and U.S. armies met in the city at the end of WWII. I then left the castle courtyard through another exit and walked around it to reach the nearby bridge from where I had a nice vantage point of the structure. In fact, the castle is located in the eastern part of town right on the bank of the Elbe river. After enjoying the view I then walked back into the city and through the pretty streets of the old town, reaching then the main square too, with the 16th-century renaissance town hall. I was then quite hungry and decided to head to one of the few places open in town, Hanswurst, to grab some fries and bratwurst to eat. After that, it was time to head back to the station from where I eventually took the next ride back to Berlin.